Pint-sized Pour: Anchor's saison, Fort Ross Farmhouse Ale

The new IPA?: “Saisons,” pronounced Dean Rouleau, brewery consultant and San Diego Brewing Co.’s former brewmaster, “are the new IPA.” What he meant — I think; we were a few pints into the evening — is that saisons, a French-Belgian style also called farmhouse ales, are the latest beer craze. Like IPAs, they are versatile brews open to numerous interpretations, including Anchor’s tidy West Coast rendition.

Good herb: Fort Ross follows the saison playbook: it’s light in body and is briskly spiced, notably with clove and pepper notes. But there’s an unexpected earthiness from yerba buena, an aromatic plant popular in teas. You’ll catch spice cake on the nose and fresh biscuits, apples and bananas on the tongue. Fort Ross’ varied flavors and aromas share the stage in a considerate way — each has its moment.

Why Zy?: Anchor brewed up the word “Zymaster.” My Webster’s doesn’t list “zymaster,” but it defines “zymurgy” as the chemistry of fermentation.